Lighter



Dec. 29, 1953 R. E. PETERSON LIGHTER Filea sept. 2e, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l 72/ Hffo'rrle Dec. 29, 1953 R. E. PETERSON LIGHTER 2 sheet-sheet 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1949 of gas and air. This initial mixture is then fed through the opening 49 into a mixing chamber 50 closed at its upper end by a plug 5I provided with openings 52 therein.

The combustible mixture fed through the openings 52 enters a combustion chamber 53 normally covered by a pivoted cover member 55 and provided with an ignition opening 54.

The cover member 55 is provided with a resilient latch member 56 provided with an opening 5l normally cooperating with a rivet 58 on the casing member I to retain the cover in closed position, as shown in Fig. 1. Riveted to the top cover 55, as by a rivet 59, is a spring pawl 60.

The pawl 60 cooperates with a ratchet 6I mounted for rotation on a shaft 52. Also mounted on the shaft B2 for rotation with the ratchet 6| is a int wheel 63. The cover member 55 is mounted on the shaft 62 and is suitably connected as by solder or by other means to a pinion 64 for rotation therewith (see Fig. 2) The pinion 34 meshes with a rack 65 slidably mounted within the bore l and normally urged upwardly by a spring ES. The iiint wheel 53 cooperates with a conventional flint 61 urged into engagement with the flint wheel by a conventional flint spring 58 within the bore I4.

OPERATION As shown in Fig. 1, the cover 55 is in its extreme counter-clockwise position and is held in this position by the engagement of the rivet 58 and the latch 5E. At this time the spring 66 is under compression and the valve member 35 is in seating or closed position and maintained in this position by the spring 40.

To operate the lighter a push button is slid upwardly carrying with it an operating member 'Il having a tail 12 bearing against the head 39. The movement of the operating member H upwardly moves the head 39 upwardly and the valve rod 3B to permit gas to ow from the chamber 29 to the counter b ore 33 and thence through the tube 42, capillary 43, lter chamber 44 to the jet 46, This action promotes a flow of air through the holes 48 and the gas and air initial mixture flows through the opening 49 into the mixing chamber 50. The thoroughly mixed and combustible mixture of gas and air is fed out of the mixing chamber 50 through the holes 52 into the combustion chamber 53. In the meantime, further movement of the actuating member H causes the top thereof to come into contact with the end of the latch 55 and spring the latch outwardly into the dotted-line position of Fig. 1.

The movement of the latch outwardly releases the cover for clockwise movement as well as the pinion 64 and the rack 65, the rack 65 moving upwardly under the influence of the spring 66 to rotate the cover to the position of Fig. 4. This action causes a movement of the pawl 60 and the ratchet 5l to rotate the flint wheel 63 to abrade the flint 51. The spark thus produced enters the combustion chamber through the opening 54 to ignite the combustible mixture of gas and air.

To return the lighter to operative condition, the button 10 is released, closing the gas valve and the cover 55 is forced downwardly to similarly move the rack 65 downwardly and tension the spring 6B.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the 4 specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable gas lighter comprising a casing, a combustion chamber in said casing, a cover for said combustion chamber movable to and from open and closed positions, means urging said cover to open position, latch means for retaining said cover in closed position, a supply means for gaseous fuel in said casing, means to supply air to said combustion chamber for mixture with the fuel, connecting means including valve means for connecting said fuel supply means and said combustion chamber, ignition means adjacent said combustion chamber, means extending from said cover for operating said ignition means upon movement of said cover to open position and manually operative means movable to initially open said valve to effect an air-fuel mixture and further movable to thereafter release said latch means and effect operation of said ignition means to ignite said air-fuel mixture.

2. In a portable gas fuel lighter, the combination of, a receptacle for a low boiling point liquefied fuel which is maintained in its liquid form by reason of its own vapor pressure, means providing a fuel passage from said receptacle and terminating in a combustion outlet, valve means comprising a pair of separable valve members controlling fluid flow through said passage, a stem connected to one of said valve members to control its movement relative to the other member and being axially movable only to effect rapid and substantial opening of said valve means to permit gas to flow therepast in said passage, an ignition device adjacent said combustion outlet including a rotatable int wheel, mechanical means for effecting rotation of said flint wheel to effect ignition of gaseous fuel at the combustion outlet, and manually operable means operatively associated with and controlling said mechanical means and said stem first to effect sliding of said stem to open said valve means and then in timed sequence to operate said flint wheel rotating means to assure a flow of fuel to the outlet at the time of effective rotation of said iiint wheel.

3. In a portable gas fuel lighter, the combination of, a receptacle for a low boiling point liquefied fuel which is maintained in its liquid form by reason of its own vapor pressure, means providing a fuel passage in said receptacle and terminating in a combustion outlet, valve means comprising a pair of separable valve members controlling iiuid flow through said passage, a stem connected to one of said valve members to control its movement relative to the other member, mechanical means for sliding said stem axially to effect rapid and substantial opening of said valve means permitting gas now therepast in said passage, an ignition device adjacent said combustion outlet including a rotatable flint wheel, other mechanical means for effecting rotation of said flint wheel to effect ignition oi gaseous fuel at the combustion outlet, and manA ually operable means associated with and controlling said two mechanical means rst to effect operation of said stem sliding means and then in timed sequence to operate said flint wheel rotating means to assure a iiow of fuel to the combustion outlet at the time of effective rotation of said flint Wheel.

4. In a portable gas fuel lighter, the combination of, a receptacle for a low boiling liquefied fuel which is maintained in its liquid form by reason of its own vapor pressure, means forming a fuel outlet, a conduit connecting said receptacle and said outlet, separable valve and seat members in said conduit, an axially slidable nonrotative stem connected to one of said members, an ignition device adjacent said outlet including a rotatable flint wheel, means to rotate said -int wheel to eifect ignition of the fuel at said butlet, a rst manually movable means for effecting rotation 'f said -iiint wheel rotating means, a second manually movable means for sliding said stem axially to lift said valve off its seat, and a movable ngerpiece operably associated with both of said manually movable means for eifecting operation thereof in timed sequence whereby operation of said second manually operable means is first eifected and thereafter operation of said flint wheel rotating means is eiected to assure a ow of fuel at the time of rotation of said int Wheel.

5. A portable gas lighter comprising a casing; a combustion outlet for the casing; a cover for the combustion outlet, said cover being movable to and from open and closed positions; means urging said cover to open position; latch means for retaining the cover in closed position; a sup1 ply means for gaseous fuel in said casing; connecting means, including valve means, for connecting the fuel supply means and the combustion outlet; means to supply air for mixture with the fuel on the passage of the fuel from the fuel supply means to the combustion outlet; ignition means adjacent said combustion outlet; means extending from said cover for operating said ignition means upon movement of the cover to open position; and manually operative means movable initially to open said valve to effect an air-fuel mixture and further movable thereafter to release said latch means and effect operation 6 of the ignition means to ignite the air-fuel 'mixture at said combustion outlet.

6. In a portable gas fuel lighter, the combination of a receptacle for a low-boiling-point liquefied fuel which is maintained in its liquid form by reason of its own vapor pressure; a combustion chamber having an ignition opening; an ignition device adjacent said ignition opening; conduit means connecting said receptacle and said combustion chamber, said conduit means including sequentially a valve having a stem which is movable axially only, an air inlet chamber, and a mixing chamber connected to said combustion chamber whereby, upon opening of said valve. gas and air will flow to said mixing chamber wherein they are mixed, the mixture thence fiowing to the said combustion chamber, a member in said conduit for reducing the pressure of the gas flowing therethrough; mechanical means for effecting operation of said ignition device; and manually operable means operatively associated with and controlling said mechanical means and said valve stem, first to effect sliding of said stem to open said valve and then in timed sequence to operate said ignition device to assure a flow of fuel to the said combustion chamber at the time of operation of the ignition device.

ROBERT E. PETERSON.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cartwright Nov. 29, 1949 

